Dani Alves rape case: will footballer be released on bail?

A Barcelona court has rejected Dani Alves’ appeal against the decision to remand the footballer in custody over accusations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a nightclub in the Catalan capital.

The ruling handed down today follows a hearing on Thursday in which Alves’ lawyer, Cristóbal Martell, argued that his client should be released on bail.

Alves held on remand since January arrest

Alves has spent the last month in a Barcelona prison following his January arrest, after a 23-year-old woman alleged that at the end of December he raped her in the VIP bathrooms at the Sutton nightclub, located in the city’s upmarket Sant Gervasi-Galvany district.

See also: Joana Sanz says goodbye to Dani Alves

Brazilian considered a flight risk

Arguing against granting Alves bail, Spanish prosecutors and the complainant’s lawyer last week said the Brazil international’s financial means, coupled with the lack of an extradition treaty between Spain and his native country, made him a flight risk.

Ester García, who is representing Alves’ accuser, also told reporters that a decision to provisionally release the 39-year-old would represent “an attack on my client’s psychological well-being”.

Martell, on the other hand, has repeatedly insisted that Alves would not flee Spain were he bailed. The lawyer has said that the former FC Barcelona defender is willing to hand over his passports (he has Spanish and Brazilian nationality).

Alves would also be ready to report to police on a daily basis and wear a tracking device, Martell says.